


Lal's Gift

by Twiona



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Data Loves His Daughter, Episode: s03e16 The Offspring, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Gift, Holodeck, Painting, Sad and Happy, present
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 12:17:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13248063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twiona/pseuds/Twiona
Summary: After Data's daughter Lal succumbs to complete system failure from a fault in her neural net, Data transfers her memories over to his positronic brain to unlock her forgotten thoughts and experiences. He learns that she has left him a parting gift as a final farewell.This oneshot is based on the Star Trek TNG episode 'The Offspring'. I don't own Star Trek or any of the characters. Sadly.





	Lal's Gift

"Thank you for my life."

The last words that Lal had said to her father played around Data's positronic brain repeatedly like a broken record. He could not stop thinking of the love his daughter had shown for him; love mattered so much to humans and he wanted more than anything for it to matter to him. Especially Lal's love.

Data had spent so long struggling to save his beloved daughter, but even with his extensive knowledge on her neural net there was nothing he could do to repair her. He had failed as a father.

Even though he did not have the capability to experience emotion, he knew what the predictable reactions of his human friends would be like if they were in his position: shock, despair, sorrow. Maybe they might even experience denial that she was really gone, false hope that there was something more that they could do to bring her back, delusional thoughts that perhaps this was all just a bad dream and it will all be better when they woke up.

Data knew differently though. He knew definitively that Lal would never come back.

But all hope was not completely lost. If he downloaded her memories over to his own positronic brain, he would always have a part of her with him - at least that way she wouldn't truly be gone.

Data quickly calculated a 15.42% chance of success that her memories would successfully transfer. Since her brain had overloaded, there were many extraneous variables to consider. However, despite the success chance being quite low, Data had to try for his daughter. He couldn't just let her pass into oblivion without even attempting to preserve what was left of her.

Hands moving in a blur, he hurriedly rushed to set everything up that he needed. Once everything was in place, he hooked the small metal clip onto Lal's head and the other one onto his own.

As the memories downloaded, Data's vision went black. The room he was in blinked out in a flash, leaving him in darkness. Before he could even consider the possibility that something had gone wrong, he suddenly caught glimpses of Lal's memories appearing before his eyes as if they were his own before disappearing less than a second later. But for Data, the memories seemed to last a lifetime.

He saw Lal's first sight: a very intrigued looking version of himself was standing over her checking that she was responsive. His face had looked the same as it always did, but his posture was straighter than normal like a proud father. Lal had recognised him as family immediately and he was the first and only thought crossing her mind in her first precious moments of life. As Data watched this memory, he idly wondered if humans have the same connection with their parents when they are newly born.

Time shifted suddenly, Lal's second important memory being the time when she finally met Data's friends. Geordi's shock, Wesley's awe and Deanna's surprise at meeting her was Lal's first proper experience of seeing emotion. She didn't know what it was at the time, but it had fascinated her.

Memories flashed by again rapidly; Data saw her choosing her human female body then he saw her learning the basics of social etiquette with him. He saw the children teasing her and then he watched her serve Worf prune juice at ten forward (apparently it is a warrior's drink).

But after watching so many new memories of Lal's flashing through Data's mind it unlocked quite a few unknown things about his daughter. He wasn't with her every second of the day so obviously there were things he had no idea she'd done.

He learned that she had challenged Geordi to a few games of 3D chess and won every single match. She had memorised some Lee Evans jokes to tell her friends in ten forward. She had speed read all the Harry Potter books in a quarter of an hour after Wesley recommended them to her, then she decided she wanted to be in Ravenclaw. She had even tried to learn how to tap dance so she could perhaps one day perform for the Captain.

Data realised that Lal's curiosity for humans probably even exceeded his own. The human expression "chip off the old block" finally made sense to him.

He saw a new memory: Lal had carefully placed something golden in the desk in Data's quarters. Intrigued, Data attempted to access the memory. Before he could interrupt the film reel of memories to isolate that specific one, he had reached the part where she had malfunctioned and his curiosity for finding out what went wrong with her outweighed his desire to find Lal's unknown gift for him. Data wondered if he would be able to feel what her emotions were like when Lal's memories of them transferred over.

He wondered if he would feel her love.

When the memories of emotion came to Data, he was aware of how Lal's thought processes had changed slightly when she was experiencing fear, but it was as if the memory was muted and the emotion that should have been vibrant and alive was dull and dead. As usual, he could feel no emotion at all, not even from a memory.  
After a few more seconds of downloading, the memories reached the end. He saw Lal express her affection towards him and then it all went black. The sight of the room clicked back into Data's vision as the download completed.

It was over.

He didn't feel disappointment at the fact that he still didn't know what love feels like (not that he could feel disappointed anyway) - but he was actually quite satisfied that he had improved on himself by creating his daughter. However, that didn't stop him from feeling incomplete now that she was not alive anymore. Humans would probably refer to the feeling as 'loneliness'.

His mind went back to the memory of her putting something in his desk - it was the only memory of Lal's he required clarification on. He wanted to see what she had left for him, so before he returned to his work on the bridge he decided that he would stop off at his quarters first.

He turned to leave the room and find Lal's gift to him, but he suddenly stopped himself before he took a step. Turning back to his lifeless daughter, he bowed his head slightly in respect - something he'd seen Captain Picard do for fallen friends.

He reached up to place one of his cool hands on her cheek, gently stroking his thumb against her synthetic skin.

"I will never forget you, Lal. You will always be with me." He told her quietly, thinking about her memories stored in his mind.

Leaning forward, he placed a small kiss on her forehead before bowing his head again and leaving the room.

When he reached his quarters, he quickly made his way over to the desk and unceremoniously pulled open the drawer. A large flat package sat there, wrapped in golden decorative paper to match his uniform. Data gently lifted it out of the drawer with his lips parted in curiosity. A big golden bow was tied around it and a note stuck to it, handwritten by his daughter.

He carefully removed the note and unfolded it, eyes darting left to right rapidly as he quickly read the perfectly shaped letters with inhuman speed.

Dear father,  
I hope you appreciate this gift. I asked some of the people in ten forward what their custom is for showing a family member affection and they suggested I give a gift "from the heart".  
Your daughter,  
Lal.

Data placed the note on his desk so he could read it again later and then he cocked his head slightly at the beautifully wrapped present. He wondered how she could have gotten him a gift when she had not even left the ship to buy something from a nearby planet.

He carefully pulled the wrapping off, making sure not to tear the paper. When the shiny golden paper unfolded like petals on a flower, he pulled it away from his present with a flourish and looked it over in his hands. A large rectangular frame stared up at him and he recognised it as the back of one of his artists' canvases. Lal must have painted him a picture. She knew how keen he was about art so she must have put a lot of effort into her work in order to impress him. Data's lips parted with curiosity at the gesture and he turned the frame over in his hands to see what she had painted.

Data stared tenderly at the perfectly painted image of himself and his daughter standing together in ten forward. She had depicted them observing the stars together while holding hands and smiling.

He admired the detail Lal had put into the painting. She had gone for a photorealistic style - Data knew from experience that achieving a perfectly accurate painting was no easy feat. She had even added a very detailed interpretation of the Tarantula Nebula outside the ship window behind the smiling figures.  
But there was one major aspect of the painting which intrigued the android. Lal had given him a rosier skin tone with texture like a fuzzy peach. His eyes were not the usual yellow either, but a bright vibrant blue.

She had painted them both as humans.

Their smiles were crooked, tiny freckles dotted both their faces and little wrinkles formed near their eyes as they grinned. Beautifully imperfect humans.

All Data had ever wanted was to be human and it was something that he was convinced he could never have. However, Lal had managed to grant him the impossible in her art. It was the perfect gift.

He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he committed the image permanently to his data banks. He wanted to always remember this beautiful gift from his only child. The only other being in existence who could have possibly understood him. Even his own brother Lore was nothing like him.

Data couldn't help but consider his attempt at procreation a success. Despite the fact that Lal had to be deactivated, she had lived far longer and had achieved much more than anyone had expected. Even Data himself had no idea how she would turn out and he was truly satisfied knowing that he had done his very best to raise her. He knew from her memories stored in his brain that she had been very grateful for her life. His daughter's complete love and admiration was far more than he had ever expected from his android offspring and it was all that really mattered in the end.

He could easily stand there and admire his gift a little longer but he knew he had to return to work on the bridge. Data had a responsibility to Starfleet to continue his work - he could mourn in his own time.

Before he left his quarters, he made sure to hang the painting near his desk so he could always treasure his daughter's gift. After one last lingering look, he left the room.

When he arrived on the bridge to be met with the sad and sympathetic stares of his coworkers, he briefly explained to them what had happened with Lal and quietly made his way over to his station.

Seating himself at his usual place at the helm, Data stared out into the vast depths of space with the knowledge that although his daughter was no longer walking among them, a part of her will always closely remain with him.

———————————————————————

With a final stroke of his paintbrush, Data gazed down at his masterpiece with approval while nodding his head gently and smiling. Every strand of her hair, every flicker of colour in her eyes and every stitch of fabric on her clothes were painted perfectly. He wouldn't settle for anything less.

Ever since Lal had been deactivated, Data had dedicated all his free time to reciprocating her gesture of affection by depicting her in his art. Lal's pretty face stared up at him with acrylic eyes on the canvas with such love and warmth that Data couldn't help but remember that exact same expression she gave him in the last waking moments of her life. His daughter's love - the one memory that Data cherished above any other - was now forever immortalised in art.

Even though Data was successful in his endeavour to celebrate her memory in this way, he still wished that he could show Lal his work and witness her approval for himself. Up until this morning, he didn't think that it was possible. By a profound stroke of luck, his best friend Geordi had suggested to Data the perfect way to reunite with his lost daughter: the holodeck. Geordi had told him that he was working on a program for him and it would be ready by the time he completed his painting. He hadn't told his android friend all of the details for the program, but he insisted that Data would appreciate the surprise. Of course, Data agreed.

As soon as the paint dried on the canvas, Data quickly wrapped his gift with perfect precision. Once the big purple bow was tied in place on top of the gift, he puffed his chest out proudly and made his way to the holodeck where his best friend would be waiting for him.

Geordi was already standing next to the control panel when Data arrived at the holodeck with the shiny purple present clutched to his chest. Without saying a word, the engineer smiled gently at Data and pressed a few keys on the panel. The doors slid open with a whoosh and Data was met with a beautiful sight.

Naturally, Geordi had been the first person he had shown his daughter's gift to. His best friend had seen how important her painting was to him, so he had used it as inspiration to host his holodeck program and bring it to life. The entire room was exactly as it was depicted in Lal's painting; glistening stars, the nebula outside the ship's window... and Lal. She stood by her place near the window, smiling with contentment and awaiting her father's arrival to complete the scene. It was perfect.

Data spun around to Geordi with a 'thank you' ready to burst out of his mouth, but his best friend held a hand up to stop him with a kind smile still on his face.  
"Don't thank me Data," he said quietly as he shook his head side to side, making his VISOR catch the light every time he faced the brightness emanating from the holodeck. "Just go to Lal, you've waited so long to see her again, we can always talk later."

Data nodded his head and tried hard to form what he intended to be an appreciative smile on his face before boldly striding into the program with a spring in his step.

The first few strides were purposeful and quick, but as soon as Lal began to turn her head in his direction, he began to slow down slightly. Just as he reached her side, she was now facing him, recognition and love blooming in the depths of her eyes.

"Hello, Lal."

"Father," came the warm response. Since Lal had painted them both as humans, she was speaking more smoothly and with emotion lacing her voice. The program must have adapted to give her more human-like qualities to imitate the painting more accurately. Her wide, genuine smile reached her eyes in a very human manner and they twinkled pleasantly against her rosy complexion. She looked beautiful.

"I'm glad you're here - you're right on time. Is that for me?"

Data nodded gently, not taking his eyes away from his beloved daughter. He vaguely realised that Lal was now using contractions just as easily as any other human would. Data knew that if he could experience emotion, he would be proud of her.

"Yes, Lal. I never got the chance to properly thank you for your thoughtful present. I truly appreciated the effort you went to in order to display affection and I was compelled to return the gesture. This is my gift to you," Data replied, carefully handing the purple object over to Lal. He noticed that he was smiling broadly without consciously having to make the effort. Even though he still could not feel, he somehow knew on an unconscious level that a moment so beautiful deserved a warm smile.

Lal grinned back at him in a very human manner while tearing the shiny paper away from her gift with excitement. It was unusual seeing his android daughter displaying so much emotion but Data didn't mind. He was just thankful that he had been given this chance to say goodbye to her properly, and being able to do so by making her painting come to life was an added bonus.

Lal's eyes lit up when she saw her smiling face looking back at her from Data's painting. "It's beautiful!" She whispered, peering up at her father and offering him a delighted grin. Data reached a hand out towards her and she took it immediately, squeezing slightly as a silent 'thank you'.

He noticed that the expression she was giving him was very similar to how she was depicted in the painting clasped in her free hand. Not only were they bringing Lal's gift to life, but she was doing the same with his gift, too.

She would always be here with him, whether it was in his art, or the holodeck, or in his memories. His beloved Lal would always live on.


End file.
